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CEMI appoints new director for Rio Tinto Centre

The Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) has appointed a new director for its Rio Tinto Centre for Underground Mine Construction (RTC-UMC) in Sudbury. Dr. Matthew Pierce, a principal engineer with U.S.-based Itasca Consulting Group Inc.

The Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) has appointed a new director for its Rio Tinto Centre for Underground Mine Construction (RTC-UMC) in Sudbury.
Dr. Matthew Pierce, a principal engineer with U.S.-based Itasca Consulting Group Inc., has taken on the role of director.

Serving in the role of associate director is Dr. Erik Eberhardt, who is currently the director of the geological engineering department and a professor of rock mechanics and rock engineering at the University of British Columbia. Both will continue their involvement with their current employers.
Pierce replaces Dr. Peter Kaiser, the centre’s founding director, who will remain at the centre during a transition period before returning to Laurentian University as chair of rock mechanics and ground control.
“Rio Tinto’s significant investment in RTC-UMC continues to put Canada on the map for innovation in underground mining,” said Douglas Morrison, CEMI’s president and CEO.
Created in 2010 to complement Rio Tinto’s Australia and U.K. research facilities, the centre focuses on research and technology development in the area of rapid mine construction, with an emphasis on developing efficient and effective ground control measures.